This exciting local history project has grown out of a very special partnership between the Skowhegan History House, the students and teachers of the Skowhegan Area Middle School, and the Maine Memory Network , a branch of the Maine Historical Society in Portland. Here is how it works. Skowhegan History House has a large collection of photos and documents that will be very useful to students and researchers on the Internet.The Skowhegan Area Middle School students each have a laptop computer through the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) and the technical staff is there to make them work. The Maine Memory Network (MMN) has the website where anyone interested can access the information free of charge. MMN will also provide the server space necessary to store these and thousands of other images from many "contributing partners" from all over Maine. This is the first time historical volunteers from the community have worked hand in hand with students to upload images and documents.

The key to making this whole project work is the people. Lee Granville, Curator, and Lynn Perry, Secretary, take History House materials to the middle school and work with students and staff. Lynn, Lee, and Laura Richter, former history teacher and SAMS Technology integrationist, guide students as they do the actual scanning and uploading of documents. Every learning team at the Skowhegan Middle School sends student representatives. Lastly, Steve Bromage coordinates everything online.

From a History House standpoint, we are pleased to see our photos go online where they are available to a much larger group of people. More importantly, it is a pleasure to work directly with the students. If we can create a spark of interest as they deal with these historic images, we will have fulfilled our mission. In a very few years, people of their generation will become the keepers of our local history and perhaps this effort will start some of them down that road.

Skowhegan History House has been a local history museum for more than sixty-five years. Skowhegan author, Louise Helen Coburn, founded History House in 1936. She filled it with beautiful and interesting things used in our town during the middle of the nineteenth century. Many school classes and visitors from all over the world visit the little cottage every year. In the museum area at the rear of the house, Miss Coburn gathered photographs, newspapers, letters and documents from an earlier time. Researchers and genealogists visit here in the summer months to look-up past events in Skowhegan's history or just to find out things about their family. Now, for the first time, people on the Internet will be able to see some of these pictures and documents without actually coming to Skowhegan. Student created power point on the Skowhegan History House

Educational Impact for Students:

When all of the work is complete, these students will then share their scanning experiences with the rest of the students on their learning communities at the Midddle School. They will teach them the features of the Maine Memory website. This website has rich historical material that will help students understand and value their local heritage.

This project exemplifies the educational value of Maine's laptop initiative in that each student is able to scan with their own laptop and upload to the Maine Historical site (Maine Memory Network ). When they return to the classroom, all of the students will be able to access the site, and begin researching. The Internet will aid them in their research, and word processing will be used for writing papers and reports. Eventually, they will be able to create multi-media presentations both in the Maine Memory album, iMovie or a slideshow program. All of these programs are built into the laptop.

Educational Uses for Teachers:

The educational value of this site is limitless. Maine studies, American history and language arts are the obvious areas for integration. However,a topic such as local natural disasters, may also connect with the science and math curriculum.

Project Example - Save Our Grange Hall

Students involved in this project have contacted the town of Skowhegan as to the fate of our old Grange Building. They were told to call the owners. After viewing many of the old buildings that have been torn down over the years, it has become apparent to the students that parking lots have taken the place of many beautiful structures in Skowhegan. Word is that the Grange too could meet such a fate! The students are investigating this issue through letter writing in language arts classes. They are sending letters to many Skowhegan town officials and businessmen. Student made video

Project Example - Skowhegan Community Website

Students have been working on a Skowhegan Community Website for the past eight years and will add new oral histories this year. Their work includes a site on Kennebec River logdriving, Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec, Abenakis of the area, local town government and much more. Click here to view the student designed webpages.


Other project areas:

• Changes Along Main Street
• Historic Buildings in our Town
• Journals of Benedict Arnold’s Soldiers (as they passed through Skowhegan 1775)
• A Skowhegan Soldier in the Civil War (letters and collection)
• The Skowhegan Island
• The Mighty Kennebec River
• Elise Fellows White (violinist)
  

Website by Jervey
njervey@msad54.k12.me.us
1/23/03